A Medical Device Daily

Kinetic Concepts (KCI; San Antonio), developer of advanced wound care and therapeutic surfaces, reported two separate agreements from Novation (Irving, Texas), the healthcare contracting services arm of VHA (also Irving) and University HealthSystem Consortium (Oak Brook, Illinois).

The agreements include a three-year pact to provide rental and sales of KCI’s therapeutic beds and surfaces and a three-year agreement to provide bariatric beds, surfaces and related products. KCI’s therapeutic and bariatric surfaces will be made available to VHA’s and UHC’s more than 2,400 member health care facilities.

In other agreements:

• Premier Purchasing Partners (Charlotte, North Carolina) reported new agreements for thrombectomy and embolectomy products awarded to Edwards Lifesciences (Irvine, California), Possis Medical (Minneapolis) and Vascular Solutions (Minneapolis). These 36-month agreements, effective Nov. 1, are available to both acute-care and continuum-of-care members of Premier.

Premier also reported new 36-month agreements for orthopedic soft goods, including cervical extrication collars, with Aspen Medical Products (Irvine, California), DeRoyal Industries (Powell, Tennessee) and DJO (Vista, California), formerly dj Orthopedics.

The formerly separate categories are now combined to include cervical extrication collars under the orthopedic soft goods umbrella. Custom knee and back braces have also been added to the portfolio that includes knee, back, shoulder and ankle supports as well as cold therapy products.

The agreements, effective Dec. 1, are available to both acute-care and continuum-of-care members of Premier.

• Amicus Hyperbaric Group (Amicus; Lubbock, Texas) reported opening a hyperbaric wound care center in Medical Center Hospital , an Ector County Hospital District facility (Odessa, Texas). The Amicus center will expand the existing wound care capabilities by offering hyperbaric oxygen treatment.

Amicus signed an exclusive long-term agreement with Medical Center to initially provide two hyperbaric chambers and related equipment. Amicus will double this capacity during the term of the agreement.

“Our new center in Odessa increases our presence in West Texas... . while becoming the largest provider of hyperbaric services to hospitals in the southwestern United States,” said Jim Bullard, president of Amicus.

Hyperbaric therapy is a Medicare-approved therapy to treat wounds in diabetic patients and others, primarily diabetic foot wounds or wounds related to diabetes.